James Harrison ran himself into Pittsburgh Steelers immortality when he made an unbelievable play in Super Bowl XLIII. His 100-yard interception return for a touchdown is arguably the greatest play in Super Bowl history, but Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald almost prevented it. Fitzgerald made an incredible effort to chase down Harrison, but he was just a step too late. Fitzgerald recently went into detail about what trying to tackle Harrison was like.
“That was always a big emphasis for us, if there was a fumble or an interception, we got to get the guy on the ground,” Fitzgerald said recently on The Dan Patrick Show. “It didn’t help me in the Super Bowl against James Harrison, but I didn’t know I’d have to tackle a man that rocked me like James Harrison.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to move a refrigerator before, but if you ever try to move a refrigerator, that’s what it felt like trying to hit James Harrison.”
That’s a hilarious comparison from Fitzgerald but also an apt one. Even today, Harrison is built like a brickhouse. In his prime? He might have been denser than any fridge. He wasn’t the tallest guy, but he might have been the most muscular. There’s a reason no one thought he’d drop back into coverage on that play.
His interception was a huge swing in that game. The Steelers were only leading by three points, and it seemed certain that the Cardinals would score in some form. At the very worst, it looked like they would tie the game before the end of the first half. Harrison had different plans.
The Cardinals did eventually battle their way back into the game though. They even captured the lead with a little over two minutes remaining thanks to Fitzgerald scoring an incredible touchdown. As he explains, he thought that would win the game for the Cardinals.
“Absolutely. I think momentum really shifted in our favor,” Fitzgerald said. “That touchdown really put us in a really positive position. I thought it would be enough. But there’s a reason Ben Roethlisberger is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and Mike Tomlin is gonna be a Hall of Famer.”
Roethlisberger did show why he’s one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. Much is said about Santonio Holmes’ toe-tapping catch, and rightfully so, but Roethlisberger made an unreal throw on that play as well. When you have a quarterback like that on your team, no game is ever out of reach.
That is the last Super Bowl the Steelers won. It was a thrilling game, but unfortunately, someone had to lose. Fitzgerald doesn’t seem too sore about the loss, but at the time, nothing probably felt worse. He did everything he could to will the Cardinals to victory, including trying to tackle Harrison. It just wasn’t enough. He’ll find himself in the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day, though, and hopefully that’s a nice consolation prize.
